It is common to install rotary cabinet units in corner cabinet spaces in kitchens. Such rotary cabinet units or "lazy susans" have become popular as they allow for access to otherwise inaccessible areas of cabinets. In such "lazy susans", it is desirable to include a rotary catch which holds the rotary unit in a selected rotary position so that the door panels of the rotary cabinet will be maintained flush with the cabinet walls when the "lazy susan" is closed.
Various rotary catch arrangements have been used with "lazy susans" in the past. The rotary cabinet units are mounted within a corner cabinet for rotation about a vertical axis. The units are provided with a cam mounted on the axis and a notch member mounted to the cabinet which fits within a recess of the cam. The cam and notch are aligned so that the door panels fit flush with the cabinet opening when the notch fits within the recess of the cam.
An example of the above-described catch is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,800, issued Sept. 28, 1976. The catch includes a plastic mounting plate and a metal sleeve. The plastic mounting plate includes an oblong ring disposed about a central pivot bearing. The mounting plate is secured to the cabinet. The oblong ring is connected to the plate at diametrically opposed points on the major diameter thereof and includes recesses at diametrically opposed points on the minor diameter. The metal sleeve is secured to the shaft about which the storage unit rotates. Catch-engaging lugs in the sleeve extend outwardly from the sleeve and snap into the recesses when aligned therewith to hold the lazy susan in a selected position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,156, issued Feb. 25, 1975, discloses a catch arrangement for a rotatable shelf unit having a cam arrangement which lifts the shelf unit for free rotation about an axis. The cam arrangement includes a downwardly-facing cam on a bearing which cooperates with a complementary upwardly-facing cam on a bottom shelf mounting bracket. When the storage unit is rotated to the closed position, the weight of the shelf unit causes the downwardly-facing cam carried on the shelf unit to drop into engagement with the upwardly-facing cam and thus maintain the door panels of the cabinet in the closed position.
Another arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,281,197, issued Oct. 25, 1966. The '197 patent discloses a roller assembly for positioning a corner shelf wherein the roller assembly has an annular cam fixed to the shelf frame and an adjacent roller supported on the cabinet. The roller is spring-biased so as to urge the roller against the cam surface. The cam has a a peripheral notch which receives the roller so as to establish a normally closed position of a cabinet.